Contest
Our wellbeing is not only shaped by what we endure, but by what supports us and keeps us going.
In a world marked by constant movement and change, how we ground ourselves in joy influences our way forward. Joy is a root system. It anchors us during times of change, holds us through moments of exhaustion or grief, and quietly supports our capacity to care for ourselves, our communities, and one another. Joy is not incidental to wellbeing; it is foundational.
We understand wellbeing as both deeply personal and deeply collective. It lives in our bodies and relationships, in culture and memory, in daily rituals and creative practices. It is shaped by what grounds us, the people, places, practices, and moments that return us to ourselves. When tended to, joy can be a powerful form of care, healing, and active element of public health.
Our roots of joy take many forms. They may be inherited or discovered, communal or individual. They may live in ancestry, movement, rest, nature, spirituality, creativity, friendship, laughter, or solitude. Often, these roots become most visible during periods of burnout, transition, loss, or growth, when what sustains us matters most.
Creativity, through art, letters, stories, and poetry, opens avenues to explore joy beyond standards and definitions. It allows us to reflect on what restores us, to celebrate what keeps us grounded, and to imagine wellbeing not as the absence of illness, but as the presence of meaning, connection, and liveliness.
For this open call, we invite you to reflect on joy as something rooted and sustaining. We are interested in creative works that explore how joy shows up in your life, where it comes from, and how it supports your wellbeing over time. We welcome submissions that consider joy in its many forms—quiet or exuberant, fragile or resilient, reclaimed or newly found—and how it intersects with identity, culture, place, healing, community, and public health.
Using art, letters, stories, and poetry, tell us:
How might the roots of your joy sustain your wellbeing?
Note: At this time, submissions will only be accepted if written in English. Submissions should not have been previously published and should be properly formatted with little to no grammatical errors. Submissions will be accepted via Submittable. Please do not include any identifying information in your uploaded file.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidelines: Although AI represents a new and powerful tool, at LIGHT, we strive to maintain a magazine rooted in community and personal narratives. In other words, AI can be used as a tool, but it should not be the primary creator of your submission.
Entries into the LIGHT open call that utilize AI must:
- not exceed 10% utilization as determined by AI detection software
- credit and make explicit the use of AI in the submission
Authors of submissions that utilize AI and fail to meet both requirements will be notified, and their submission will be withdrawn from consideration. Please review this blog post for more information regarding our AI guidelines.
Deadline
The deadline for all submissions in each category is Friday, May 1, 2026, by 11:59pm CST. All submissions should follow LIGHT guidelines on Submittable and the specified judging criteria.
Potential Timeline
– Open call launch: February 1, 2026
– Open call deadline: May 1, 2026
– Review and judging: May 2026
– Finalist notifications by: June 2026
– Expected magazine release: January 2027
Prizes
LIGHT awards three prizes: 1st place: $500, 2nd place: $375, and 3rd place: $125. The top three submissions in each of our four categories (art, letters, poems, and stories) receive a prize. The top contestants in each category will be notified early June 2026 and will be featured in the sixth issue of our magazine. All submissions will receive consideration for publication in the magazine dependent on the number and quality of submissions. Prizes for each category are as follows:
Prizes for each category are as follows:
Dear Public Health/or Letters to Public Health Prize
We believe letters are the truth of life. A space to cherish connections between the public and their health. We believe the public carries a gift for health so necessary to survival, and we come close to this gift through letters. Dear Public Health is for the public, written as a letter to make connections with the public and their health easier, not difficult. Public health experts are people who live in our society. The public lives in our society too. Public health is not something that should be left for experts only to shape. It should be for anyone, for everyone. Public health should not be something that the public cannot understand or use, but rather, it should be collaborative and co-created. So, we want your letters to help light up public health, to center the public in public’s health. Our top letter will win $500. The second-place winner will win $375, and the third-place winner will win $125.
PEN-3 Prize in Storytelling
We believe stories are a guide. They are always with us. As teachers, they evoke a feeling, leading us, helping us the reader to discover, to explore the public in public health. So, what is your story about health, about the public and their health? We all have stories in us. We want to learn about your careful observation of reality in public health and not just the negative aspects. We want to hear your stories that are existential or unique, and of course your positive stories. The PEN-3 (Positive, Existential, Negative) Prize in Storytelling is modeled after the PEN-3 cultural model developed by Dr. Collins Airhihenbuwa who suggested that public health should not only focus on things that are negative but also things that are unique and things that are great. We want your PEN-3 stories to light up our public’s health, to center the public in health. Our top story will win $500. The second-place winner will win $375, and the third-place winner will win $125.
Airhihenbuwa CO. Perspectives on AIDS in Africa: strategies for prevention and control. AIDS Educ Prev. 1989;1(1):57-69.
Poetry Is Not a Luxury Prize
We believe poetry is not a luxury. They put to words what we feel within and dare make real or bring into action, our fears, our pain, our power. They also probe the present, clarify the past, and enlighten the future. They help transform silence into action, engaging both emotionally and intellectually. We believe poetry can be used to shape the public’s health. Not as luxury as Audre Lorde once mentioned, but to scrutinize our lives, to bring change, to bring hope to lives long forgotten and excluded in public health. Poetry Is Not a Luxury Prize is based on Audre’s Lorde invitation to use poetry as a vital necessity of our existence, our hopes, our dreams towards survival and change, first made into language, then an idea, then action. So, poetry is not a luxury for us. It is a life and death affair that we believe can be used to light up the public’s health, to center the public in health. Our top poem will win $500. The second-place winner will win $375, and the third-place winner will win $125.
Lorde A. Poetry Is Not A Luxury. Osnabrück: Druck- & Verlagscooperative; 1993.
PEN-3 Prize in Storytelling
We believe poetry is not a luxury. They put to words what we feel within and dare make real or bring into action, our fears, our pain, our power. They also probe the present, clarify the past, and enlighten the future. They help transform silence into action, engaging both emotionally and intellectually. We believe poetry can be used to shape the public’s health. Not as luxury as Audre Lorde once mentioned, but to scrutinize our lives, to bring change, to bring hope to lives long forgotten and excluded in public health. Poetry Is Not a Luxury Prize is based on Audre’s Lorde invitation to use poetry as a vital necessity of our existence, our hopes, our dreams towards survival and change, first made into language, then an idea, then action. So, poetry is not a luxury for us. It is a life and death affair that we believe can be used to light up the public’s health, to center the public in health. Our top poem will win $500. The second-place winner will win $375, and the third-place winner will win $125.
Lorde A. Poetry Is Not A Luxury. Osnabrück: Druck- & Verlagscooperative; 1993.
Judging
Submissions will be reviewed by three to five independent judges. Judging criteria will include the following using a collaborative style of judging:
Innovation
Is the submission transformative? Does the submission offer a new way to rethink a public health issue?
Clarity of expression
Is the submission clearly expressed, narrated, or represented? Is the submission understandable?
Originality and creativity in expression
Does the submission show creative thinking? Does the submission stand out as unique and original?
Appeal of content
How well would the submission resonate with the public? Would the public find interest in the content?
Relevance to public health
Does the submission connect to the public health issue? How much significance does the submission offer to the public health field?
FAQ
Who is eligible to participate?
Anyone can participate! There is no age requirement for submission. Submissions can be US-based or international, but all submissions must be in English.
Should I include my name in my file I submit?
No, please do not include your name or any other identifying information in the file you submit. Your name will be documented in Submittable.
Is there a limit to how many pieces of work I can submit?
No, you can submit as many pieces of work as you want. At the same time, be mindful that quality of the work is more important than quantity.
Can I submit creative work that has been previously published?
No, your creative work cannot have been previously published. An exception would be if it has been published on a personal website, blog, Spotify, etc.
Can I submit to LIGHT and another contest simultaneously?
Yes, but if you are submitting concurrently, please tell us if your submission is accepted elsewhere. Your submission with LIGHT will have to be withdrawn.
Will my submission be shared publicly?
Yes, your creative submission could be published in the LIGHT magazine. Please only submit what you would like the public to see or read in our magazine. Your name will be published along with your submission.